It is God’s design that the All Progressives Congress (APC) will hold a festival of unity, cohesion, and tranquility next Monday across the wards in Ekiti State.
It is a popularity test without a competitor, rival or foe. Governor Biodun Abayomi Oyebanji, fondly called BAO, will stand before the mirror of history. His character and performance wll be on the scale. Party men and women will consider his application for the ticket for the second time and give an instant verdict.
The outcome of the unique shadow poll is predictable. There will be neither anxiety nor tension. In one accord, party faithful, represented by five delegates per ward, would chorus in unison at the special coronation that the 2026 consensus candidate of the Ekiti APC is also, more or less, the sole candidate of the over 130 towns and villages constituting Ekiti State in next year’s governorship election.
Instructively, the exercise, coming barely two weeks after the third anniversary of the administration, will be a referendum on the scorecard of the governor across the sectors.
There will be ‘no victor, no vanquished’ at the end of the exercise; only the wish of the majority will prevail.
The lessons of this moment should not be forgotten. They are very instructive. It is now clear that membership of Ekiti APC entails a miniature financial responsibility that is often ignored until it is too late. Party dues must be paid and only financial members are entitled to play the roles of nominators and electors at the primary.
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Also, seasonal or on-and-off politicians who appear during primaries and disappear into their shells, only to resurface in another election cycle, cannot be taken seriously by the chapter.
Once Ekiti indigenes decide, like their forefathers did in the days of their famed confederation (Pelupelu), there will be no going back. The lone dissenting voice becomes an exceptional and isolated player, boxed into obscurity for non-conformity with the collective formula for promoting group interest.
Governors usually have the right of first refusal, especially when they are popular. But it is not absolute. They can be rightly challenged to a duel by other aspirants, in the exercise of their freedom of choice, association, and assembly.
But when over ninety-nine per cent of the stakeholders decide to collectively endorse Oyebanji for a second term, discerning people should know that a vacancy does not exist in the Government House in Ado-Ekiti.
The statewide endorsement was quite intimidating. A clear message was sent to potential aspirants that there is one crowd puller for now in the state. Their ambitions consequently paled into daydreaming.
Twelve categories of people threw their weight behind Oyebanji ahead of the primary. Their influence is not in doubt.
The first are the four former governors who never saw eye to eye but were united by their support for their successor. Governors Niyi Adebayo, Segun Oni, Ayodele Fayose, and Kayode Fayemi, despite their diverse political outlooks, collectively projected Oyebanji as their anointed candidate. Since the governor was endorsed by the former helmsmen, they have been campaigning for him.
The second are other key opposition leaders, particularly those of the Peoples Democratic Party (PDP) and the Social Democratic Party (SDP). The governor began courting them, shortly after he won his first victory in 2022. For example, the PDP governorship candidate, Bisi Kolawole, teamed up with him. Two months ago, the most vital female opposition voice, Senator Biodun Olujimi, dumped the PDP for APC. Asked why they were supporting the governor, notable PDP chieftains explained that they were captivated by his laudable inclusive policies and programmes.
The third category is mainly the party – its officers at the ward, local government, constituency, senatorial, and state levels. Analysts describe this category as the most potent structure for delivering any candidate at the intra-party election. These leadership structures coordinate party activities. Blessed is that governorship candidate who has the undiluted support and cooperation of the bulk of loyal, dedicated, and committed party men and women who are nominators for the primary. Many of them may not have high socio-economic status, but their fanatical loyalty to the platform is never in doubt. Their blood flows in the veins of the administration.
The fourth category of stakeholders are elective public officers – three senators, nine House of Representatives members, 16 members of the House of Assembly, commissioners, advisers, and other appointees. They are from the different local governments, and they have a stake in the government.
The fifth are elder statesmen who cannot be ignored in Ekiti. Not all of them are directly associated with political tendencies, but they command a high level of respect. The four legal luminaries – one from Ado-Ekiti, another one from Ikere-Ekiti and two from Ilawe-Ekiti – fall into this category. As a tribute, specific days are devoted to celebrating their contributions to the communities and the state. Their support is akin to the wall of Gibraltar.
The sixth bloc is the class of founding fathers of the state. Members of this group agitated for the creation of the state. Oyebanji was their secretary during the struggle. It is natural that these gerontocrats should tilt their support towards their younger compatriot who served Ekiti at the prime of life, unknown that fate would catapult him to the number one position in the Fountain of Knowledge.
The seventh group comprises influential traditional rulers, the home-based monitors of governance. They are objective in their assessment of the governor. Although they are expected to be non-partisan, their mood supports the push for continuity of the progressive governance beyond next year.
In the eighth category are credible old students of Ekiti State University. They knew the governor, either as a schoolmate or as a young, energetic, and brilliant teacher in the Department of Political Science.
The ninth bloc comprises colleague-governors in the Progressives Governors’ Forum (PGF) and the national leadership of the party. Those in this group are impressed by the loyalty to the platform, the style of the governor and his peaceful and non-controversial nature.
The tenth is made up of state workers – civil servants, teachers, and local government workers. Many of them came together to purchase the nomination form for him.
The eleventh group is made of up religious leaders who see Oyebanji as a promising administrator, a man of vision and servant-leader who is an embodiment of the highly valued Omoluabi ethos.
The twelfth consists of the ordinary people who savour the atmosphere of peace in Ekiti under Oyebanji’s leadership. They are the authentic voters in elections. Unlike the big people who may stay indoors or travel out of the country during elections, members of this group are always out to exercise their civic duty in the rains or the heat. Oyebanji is also accessible to them. To everyone in Ekiti, he is a governor they can see, feel, touch, and interact with without restriction.
However, beyond the primary is the challenge of the real election. Reminiscent of what he did to keep the party together after his 2022 victory, the governor has to rally all and sundry, including the supporters of fellow aspirants who floundered and could not cross the nomination hurdle. His post-primary activities should be conciliatory.
In setting up the campaign structures, inclusion should be the watchword. Ekiti APC should always keep its house in order before, during, and after the poll. The party should strategically prepare for the antics of few aggrieved chieftains battling with deflated ego. They may not defect but stay on in the party to package internal rebellion to distract the governor and the party during the electioneering.
Also, governance should not be allowed to suffer in the distribution of time and energy by the governor.
Ekiti 2026 poll is a big election and the opposition will make a lot of noise. The governor, a political scientist, is not expected to underrate anybody on the ballot.
The admonition of the Screening Committee, chaired by Tunji Ajuloopin Olawuyi, is apt. He urged the party to ensure that there is no crack after the primary. He also enjoined the aspirants to fulfil their promise to support the winner after the shadow poll.
The Ekiti governorship poll is the first in the series of exercises that will hold ahead of the 2027 general election. The Ekiti APC, having endorsed Oyebanji and President Bola Ahmed Tinubu for re-election, should work hard to achieve victory. Power, as the President always said, is not served a la carte.
